The Mind
by Nakaru Uzumaki
Summary: With nothing but a nightmare and a provocative young girl hinting at the fact that she may have knowledge of his past, he will face problems physically, mentally, socially, and psychologically. Having to live, breathe, and dream through a nightmare, will he be able to come out unscathed this time around? Rated M for good reason!
1. Resentfulness

_**The Mind**_

 _ **Hey everybody! So, I've noticed that not all of you liked reading Afterbirth as much as I liked writing it. I'm sorry if you didn't like it and for those of you who think it is or will be a Mary Sue story, it won't, that's just how I started it off so please, once I publish chapter 2, I encourage you to read and review. If you don't like the story in general, don't read it, it's as simple as that. But, please, I need feedback. I would love to have some more reviews rolling in. I love hearing your guys' thoughts; it keeps me motivated even through my episodes of writer's block. Tell me what you think about my work and about what I can change if something needs to be. I will try my hardest to do so. Now, without further adieu, I present to you, The Mind!**_

 _Resentfulness_

 _"Courage doesn't mean you don't get afraid. Courage means you don't let fear stop you."_

 _~Bethany Hamilton._

"AAAAAGGHHH!"

His torso shot upwards with the speed of a fired bullet as he sat up in bed, a cold sweat trickling down his face. Wide, cool grey eyes stared forward at the forest green wallpaper that coated the small apartment and he ran a hand through his spiky scarlet hair, parting his bangs a bit so that he could see better. After slowing his sudden acceleration in breath, he laid back down in his previous position, his hyperventilating already having ceased before his head hit the pillow.

 _"Arara…_ Why did you scream so loudly?"

…huh?"

He turned his head sideways and looked beside him, his eyes trailing from the long, slender porcelain legs wrapped around his waist to the beautifully sculpted hips leveled with his own and up to the bountiful mounds with which his arm was trapped between. Unbelievingly, he asked a question. Not a normal question one would ask someone they just met, but a question nonetheless. Then, his mouth formed the words. "Why are you naked?" Bright sea blue eyes looked up at him lovingly, a smile plucking at the corners of her glossy pink lips. Her long eyelashes batted seductively as she shifted over him, her hips straddling his. He almost drooled when she let his eyes travel. Long slender arms and legs were the last his mind attended to when she spread her arms, allowing him view of her ample chest. Perfectly, natural and perky breasts that seemed to have been bigger than each of his hands bounced slightly, swaying as the blonde girl above him giggled at his awestruck expression.

"You must like what you see, huh?", the girl, as bare as the day she'd been born, asked him.

"Well, yeah.", he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and, for what it was worth, it might as well have been. "But, you didn't answer my question. Why are you naked? And in bed with me?" She giggled again and it took nearly all of his strength to stay focused and avert his gaze from her jiggling breasts. She laid down on him, her breasts smushing against his chest and just when he thought he was focused he felt her soft nipples pushing onto him as she grinded against him, arousing his senses and giving life to his erection. In that moment, all he could think about was her and her seductive eyes and her generous breasts and how he wanted to ravage her supple body and just flip her over right now and oh my god! Snap out of it! Her angelic laugh rang in his ears again as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long, sensual kiss, twirling her soft tongue around the inside of his mouth in just the right way that when she pulled away, she left him breathless.

"Woah.", he said, catching his breath. "Not that I didn't like it, but, what was that for?"

She smiled at him with those pretty pink lips again and finally answered him. "That was for showing me such a good time last night, Na-ka-ru-kun." All bodily functions detonated with about ten tons of C4 when she uttered those words. He babbled incoherently as she laid her head on his chest, awaiting his brain to restart. "If you really don't remember", he shut up immediately as he looked down at her short blonde hair, listening intently. "I'm Catherine and we met at the bar last night. We had a couple of drinks and then we came back here. I'm sure you can tell the rest." He looked up at the ceiling of the small apartment contemplatively, running through his mind, trying to think. "You really don't remember?" Catherine looked up at him with those childlike cerulean eyes, begging the question to him like a kicked puppy. "Well, now that I think about…", he scratched his cheek for recompense, looking off to the side all the while. "I guess I do remember some of it."

He lied.

None of this made any sense, _whatsoever_. He woke up from a dream that was so realistic that he almost shit himself. He found himself in this strange apartment room with this girl named Catherine who seemed to have either been very taken with him or was _very_ horny. But, he didn't remember the previous story behind _any of it!_ To be honest, his name was a little fuzzy in his mind, too until she had said it. "Listen.", his attention crawled to her once more as she sat up and leaned over him. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I don't just… sleep around. I came here, because I like you." Okay, taken it was. "So…", she began. "How do you feel about me…?"

She stared at him intensely, awaiting an answer.

"Oh… umm… well, you're really beautiful, and…" She smiled at him and laid her head on his chest, cutting him off indefinitely. They laid there in silence for a couple of minutes with her arms around his neck and his hands on her hips.

"AAAAAHHH!"

She all but jumped off of him in an instant, immediately searching for her clothes, leaving him lying on the bed with popped ears and a surprised expression. "I'm sorry! But, I have to go! I have a… uh… a dentist appointment!" He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, just now taking note that he was just as naked as Catherine if it weren't for the pair of black boxers he wore. She dressed herself quickly, pulling her bra and panties on before donning her red and white dress. She suddenly slowed and walked over to him, sitting on his lap, straddling him once more. "I know you may be unsure about your feelings for me, so why don't we clear the haze? I'll meet you at the bar again tonight, okay?" She kissed his cheek and ran to the door, shouting the schedule at him again before departing. "The Stray Sheep at the same time last night, okay? Don't forget!" The door slammed behind her.

 _'Wait… what do you mean, same time?!'_

 _(Stray Sheep)_

Nakaru could now say from experience that sitting in a bar all day long by yourself is boring. So boring in fact that the amnesiac redhead had almost tried to deathly intoxicate himself to rid him of the tiresome mood. He had jumped from table to table to the bar and back to a booth with his lonesome self. His fellow redhead-the waitress, Erica-had taken his orders kindly all day after the _"Boss"_ as he was called had decided to pay for his drinks today. Only, he'd suddenly found himself having trouble getting even the least bit drunk. Until around nine when he had an idea while sitting at the bar.

"Hey.", he caught Boss' attention when he finished his whiskey. "Could I possibly get every hard liquor you have, mixed together? Straight up." The sunglasses wearing bartender smile lightly and went to work on the drink, popping back up before him almost in an instant. Then he placed a small glass half-filled with a strangely bright cerulean liquid. "Enjoy.", then he turned and when back to cleaning the glasses. Nakaru looked down at it tentatively, watching as it bubbled slightly. Yolo, right? He picked the glass up off the counter and drank its entirety in one gulp. He felt even more sober than before. "Goddamni- _woah!"_ Contrary to his previous state, he felt drinker than a sailor now that the alcohol had finally reached his stomach. The reality he knew suddenly warped, the walls and ceiling of the bar contorting and splitting apart as if the wooden planks were thousands of years old.

Then, it suddenly stopped. The end of his trip had ended so abruptly that he found himself flat footed; wide-eyed with a loose jaw. He shut his partially opened mouth and blinked. Once, twice, thrice. Boss smiled at him as Nakaru shook his head, his previous problem returning. And then he was sober again. "Wow! What was that?!" The man pushed up his sunglasses and replied. "Exactly what you asked." He looked up at the ceiling, contemplatively. Then he brought his head down with a fierce grin on his face.

 _"Get me another."_

Just as another drink clattered atop the counter before him, the sound of heels clacking against the floorboards reached his ears. He looked over and saw a familiar head of blonde hair and smiled as Catherine walked over to him. Making her way over to him, he let his eyes travel across her body, carefully taking notice of all of her beautifully perfect curves barely concealed underneath her lingerie-like white dress. She sat beside him at the bar and kissed him on the cheek, laying her head happily on his shoulder as Boss set a margarita in front of her. The rest was a blur after that. That night, he slept, his unconscious mind automatically prepping itself for another nightmare.

 _All the while, he was completely unaware that someone next door was having the same nightmare._


	2. Head On

_**The Mind**_

 _ **Hey everybody! Sorry for taking so long to update this fic, I was caught up in all the other stories and between that and school, I just didn't have the creative mindset, energy, nor the time to do this. But, now it's here! Better late than never, right? Now, without further adieu, I present to you the second chapter in The Mind, Head On!**_

 _Head On_

 _"Fucking blocks… I'm gonna climb the shit outta you!"_

 _~?_

Vincent was having a bad time.

It was as simple as that. This was his second night running through this nightmare and he was already beginning to lose his mind. He'd almost fallen twice now. _Twice!_ Do you know what the tight grip of death on your throat could do to a person when they've almost met their end not once, but twice? Well, it made Vincent go batshit crazy.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The visibly goat like man leapt from platform to platform, uncaring of those in his path. A violent red glow covered him from head to toe as he all but jumped up the mountain of blocks, two at a time. To others, he was just a sheep who'd lost their mind too early into the party. Vincent Brooks felt the fear of death too many times, and now he was ready to face it all head on, regardless of his mental state. Then, he heard the bell begin to ring.

 _Climb! Climb! Climb!_

His morals and reserved consciousness ran to the forefront when he smelled victory.

 _Wall._

That was the first thing that came to his mind when he realized his predicament. A tall wall, at least seven blocks high, was erected before him, the ring on a chain jingling impossibly and monotonously in rhythm. Suddenly, to his eyes, another sheep, a rather fit one it seemed, clad in red wool that spiked out in every direction climbed up next to him and saw the problem as well. "Oh, you gotta be shittin' me." He sounded young, younger than him at least. "Really? Fuck you!" His anger was enough to suffice an action because in that instant he dug his horns in between the first two blocks and pressured all of his weight into his head, executing a perfect headstand and flipping into the next one. Vincent watched as he managed to wedge his hands into the next crevice and somersault up, landing atop the intimidating obstacle.

Vincent wept.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?!"

The red-haired sheep looked down at him solemnly and then an idea poked at his brain. He jumped and then stomped on the platform that the goal was on. Then, the blocks came tumbling down. Lane by lane, the oversized cubes fell until there was only one before him. The end. The muscular sheep extended a hand to the man. Taking it, Vincent allowed himself to be pulled up to the velvet carpeted box, and with a relief-filled sigh, pulled the ring. The rest of the boxes fell into place, leaving a staircase up to the next area. After having nearly died more than once and came back out on top, alive, he felt like he could take on the world. Whoever was waiting for him up there tonight best be ready for one helluva fight. That just left the question:

 _'Who is this guy?'_

 _(Reality)_

Catherine was having a good time.

She smiled as she hugged Nakaru closely, pressing her breasts onto his arm consequently. The blonde watched the boy's face contort in fear and anger, his body beginning to form a cold sweat. She'd no idea why she frowned, or why she hugged him even closer now, her instincts just told her it was the right thing to do. A sense a love and care flooded his senses and caused him to calm and cease his bodily convulsions. She didn't know what it was, but he was different from the other men she'd seduced. She felt a need to keep returning to this hopeless man. It felt more than just a job to her when she crawled into bed with Uzumaki Nakaru at night and had hot, unrestrained sex with him, whether he remembered it or not.

She took pride and pleasure in her work as a succubus, but this man brought that all crashing down like a house of cards in the wind. A small smile appeared upon her face as a light pink flush overtook her porcelain cheeks. Catherine snuggled up to him closer, wrapping one of her long, seductive legs around his waist as she did so. The blonde placed her head upon his chiseled chest, closing her eyes contently as her smile only grew. As long as he didn't try to push her away, she would stay with him. She wanted to return his memories, she really did, but her duties as a succubus demanded she didn't.

At least not yet, anyway.

Ignorance _is_ bliss, after all.

With those thoughts in mind, she untangled herself from her lover, kissing him on the cheek as she stood. Naked as the day she'd been born, the blonde beauty walked into the small apartment's even smaller kitchen, swaying her hips seductively out of habit. She bent over the linoleum as she opened the fridge, a thoughtful look sliding across her features as she looked over its contents.

"What would he like for breakfast?"

She blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

 _That_ surprised her. She knew that she felt unusual feelings for him, but, that last sentence she uttered caught her off guard. Standing, she peeked around the corner of the kitchen, cerulean orbs glazing over his slightly sweaty form. Suddenly, he stilled, as if he were at peace. Those shining silver orbs she'd become accustomed to opened slowly, blinking away the bleariness of his morning. Sitting up with a small groan, the redhead wiped away the crust from his eyes, sighing in content. He was happy.

Although, if he remembered what'd just transpired, he wouldn't be.

Looking over, he spotted the bare blonde beauty peeking at him from around the corner and smiled.

"Hey Cat."

Her face flushed and she felt her heart swell.

"Good morning." She spoke softly, almost uncharacteristically shyly as she sauntered her way over to him. Sitting down on the bed beside him, she gave Nakaru a rather passionate kiss and then looked him in the eye with a small smile widening those plump pink lips of hers. "What would you like for breakfast?" The carrot top's eyes widened briefly before he closed them and thought about it. The next few events happened a lot faster than she originally envisioned. Those strong arms of his wrapped around her and flipped her, her crystalline blue orbs wide as he leaned over her defenseless form.

 _"I want you."_

That's when she felt something poking her thigh.

"Is that a weapon or are you just happy to see me?"

He smiled and smashed his lips against hers, pushing against her.

"Both."

 _(Later)_

She clung to him like a lost puppy as they walked through the town, the afternoon sun coating them in its warmth. After their rather _long_ session, they decided to go out and actually get a bite to eat, seeing as it was now around noon.

And they woke at five.

Discarding her regular flirtatious outfit for a simple scarlet sundress, Catherine smiled contently as she held his arm, relaxing her head on his shoulder. She wanted to play into his feelings, as her line of work entailed, and now that they were in public it seemed like the perfect chance. But, she felt as though she didn't need to anymore. Succubi have an innate ability that allows them to not just sense, but see the emotions of a mortal. Red was anger, yellow was happiness, you get the rest. Well, before that first morning, his aura was white. Plain. As if he'd accepted the prospects of life and simply caved. But, from then on, it'd been slowly shifting to a bright, saturated pink.

Love, affection, etc.

Not lust, mind you. She knew what that felt like and this was not such a case.

He loved her.

Even if he didn't say it to her directly, she knew. But, she wouldn't- _no, she couldn't!_ \- allow him to get romantically close to him for fear of extermination. Her father, the ruler of the Underworld, was not a very forgiving man when he was serious. No doubt this man could dominate him easily if she returned him his memories and abilities. He would probably be able to squash Astaroth like a bug if she returned him to who he was. But, she wasn't ready for that kind of revolt. Besides, that would compromise the plan.

 _And he might not like me anymore._

Those orbs of hers widened once more that day as her brain registered that thought. There it was again! Why was she having thoughts like this? She couldn't be having this kind of mindset! She knew that those three had the power to read peoples minds, so if they just happened to catch wind of how she really felt, she'd be called with the possibility of being terminated.

"We're here."

Snapped out of her thoughts, she raised her head, her eyes gazing up at the name of the place.

 _Chrono Rabbit._

Walking in, they got a table and ordered, Catherine's gaze almost never leaving his. As they sat there and ate, she realized something. She didn't care if she got in trouble. She didn't care if they called her in. She didn't care because she held him in the palm of her hand. She had all but a god under her belt.

And she was not afraid to use it.

 _(That Night)_

He stood there in silence, a completely new environment unfolding before him. First, he was in the lobby, but now he was in some kind of-

"…sewer?"

Walking forward, he realized that he was standing atop the shallow water, his feet refusing to submerge. Eventually he came to a large cage, its bright, verdant scarlet bars stood out immensely against the dark and bland environment.

 _"…wake…up…"_

His gaze suddenly turned skyward, silver orbs focusing on the circular device seemingly keeping the cage shut. Looking down at his abdomen after feeling a brief burning sensation. That same circle pattern appeared just above his belly button. Instinctively, almost like it was a habit, he reached down with a clawed hand and turned it clockwise, his gaze calmly watching the cage doors spread open, like arms inviting him in. Nothing else seemed to happen to him.

Unless you looked into his blood red eyes.

He reached out into the blackness stretching in every direction before him.

"…Kurama?"

 ** _A/N: So, again, I just wanna say how sorry I am for making this so late. Hope you guys liked it. Enjoy the preview!_**

 _Her big blue eyes widened when she saw darkness crawl over him. She ran over to him, porcelain fingers glazing over his sweaty body, blue eyes watching as those tendrils of darkness curled around his form, as they wrapped around his limbs and torso, engulfing him in its blackness. God-Astaroth-was doing this to him._

 _Killing him._

 _And she was powerless to stop it. The fact that she was but a mere succubus, with the matter that her race was created for the singular purpose of pleasure just as she was born to do, came crashing down all around her as she watched the love of her life die in front of her. Real, crystal clear tears fell over the cliffs that she called eyelids as she kneeled beside him, grasping at his hand before the darkness could take hold. That tanned face and those spiky scarlet locks gave her more of a purpose than to just please men. He'd taught her that._

 _And yet, Catherine was an ant compared to the power Astaroth held._

 _The only person able to stop this travesty was withering away in the palm of her hand as she kept her promise to not return him his 'belongings'. The blonde knew he was a god for some time now. Why they never dared to tell her was beyond her knowledge. She didn't know what to do. She could keep the one person she'd ever come to actually care about or stick to the script and let him fall into the hands of the two immortals out for his life. Then, a thought came to her._

 _"I promise, I will do anything in my power that I can for you. Just ask. Okay?"_

 _He'd do ANYTHING for her._

 _…_

 _So, she'd do anything for him._

 _Catherine closed her eyes and held his hand in both of hers. His body lit up like the sun. And then he was gone. She stood and lifted her gaze to the sky, allowing her lips to formulate one last thought._

 _"Go kick his ass, Nakaru-kun."_


End file.
